Pump Station Road Dispersed Camping

WARNING: my GPS, even though it’s an RV GPS with my size and weight, still tried to take me down Silverbell. I was fortunate that I had read the previous comment. There is no warning about the 6,000 pound weight limit on the one lane bridge until you are within a few feet of it. And there is no where or no way to turn around at that point. My rig is 42 feet long, plus I have a toad. So there’s no backing up. I would have been seriously screwed had I not been forewarned.
Other than that, it’s pretty much perfect.
I did see a snake slithering across the gravel road as I entered the area, so be on the lookout.
Plenty of wide open space out here. No issues finding a spot for the big rig.
The coordinates got me exactly to the first intersection with plenty of options in either direction.
32.44358, -111.37506
I did not continue any farther down Pump Station road so cannot provide any details beyond that point.

We have previously stayed over on Pipeline just down the road but tried Pump Station this time. This place is great, it is easy to get into and has plenty of spots for rigs of any size. As most of the previous reviews indicate if you are anything other than a car/van you need to enter off of El Tiro or Avra and not W. Silverbell due to 6k limit bridge.

Cell service
T Mobile- Strong 20gb down, 6gb up
Verizon- Weak 2gb down, 4gm up
Starlink- Great no obstruction

We did a video review of this camping location and you can find it on the video tab here in campendium.

Great boondocking spot with amazing views of mountains, cacti, and lots of blooming ground cover that sure helped with all the dust and dirt.

The road in was a bit wash boarded in spots but there were plenty of camping options available depending on how far back you wanted to go.

We just did one night on our way through and while it was a bit far from the highway for an overnight the sunset, and quietness of the night made it worthwhile.

Be sure to adhere to the caution on the weight limited bridge and double check your map to make sure you come in on El Tiro.

Excellent Verizon speed at 25Mbps download and 9 upload with a roof mounted Pepwave antenna. AT&T speeds on my phone were 135/3.

We stayed here for 4 nights. The access road in is dirt for the last bit and was in moderate condition with some washboarding but fairly easy.

There are plenty of saguaros spread around if that's a draw for you. It was crowded but there were still plenty of spots available on a Thursday morning. Spots are generally well spaced out. There's a modest amount of noise from the nearby airstrip but no material road noise.

Our site was fairly clean and so were others. There were some small pieces of trash but nothing offensive. It was level as well. Neighbors were considerate, not much audible generator noise.

The only downside is the 30 minute drive into town.

Pump Station Rd BLM has, what we consider, almost perfect boondocking qualities. Some of which are; big rig access, internet (Starlink, T-Mobile or AT&T), space between campsites, access to necessities and dust.

***Word of caution as others have said, don't approach from Silver Bell Rd because of the narrow, wooden 6,000 lb GVWR bridge.***

Big rig access for our 43ft monster. Out here there are camp spots that will fit all size rigs. There are also small dirt roads that you can get in trouble on so scout ahead to find your perfect spot. The main road (Pump Station Rd) is easily drive-able with any rig as long as you take it easy on some of the washboard sections. Our speed varied between 5 mph and 20 mph. The road is really wide and there is plenty of room for others to pass you.

The dirt roads can be dusty! If you are boondocking in the desert it can be dusty, it's just part of the price you pay for FREE. Consider this when picking a spot. If you camp near a dirt road, you can't get upset when everything is covered in dust. We picked a spot that was farther down the small dirt road and also tucked back in the bushes a bit. Again, scout ahead.

It can get crowded so try to arrive during the week if possible. This leads to our requirement of having room between campers. If I can hear someone having a normal conversation at their campsite, it is too close for me. With that said, there are sites that you can talk to your neighbor and there are sites that are really spread out. Your choice.

Another important item for us is distance to the nearest necessities. We don't have to be super close to town but since we travel with a 16 year old he likes to skateboard and go do things. So we don't want to be so remote that it's a pain to go to town now and then. Marana has everything that we need and is about 15 miles from here. Tucson is about a 45 minute drive. For us, that is acceptable.

My wife works remote full time so internet is non-negotiable for us. AT&T iPhone hot spot was getting about 30Mbps to 50Mbps download and about 12Mbps upload on 2-3 bars of 5G. T-Mobile 5G home internet with an external antenna gets between 30Mbps and 130Mbps download with a 15Mbps to 27Mbps upload. Starlink works wonderfully here as well since there aren't trees to get in the way.

Another review mentioned shooting noise? We haven't had any of that...maybe it's only during hunting season? The only noise we have had are small airplanes taking off from the glider port to tow gliders up to altitude. Watching the gliders on a nice day is actually kinda fun and relaxing. Overall, it has been a really quiet and peaceful spot to boondock. We will definitely keep Pump Station Rd BLM on our list of places to stay.